KENNESAW, Ga. — Cobb County Water System's (CCWS) Northwest Water Reclamation Facility released treated wastewater into Lake Allatoona that did not fully meet the facility's standards on Thursday, officials said.
According to the county, the facility is permitted by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to treat 12 million gallons of wastewater daily. Once treated, the water is then released into Lake Allatoona and is routinely tested.
EPD classifies the release of treated wastewater that doesn't meet certain standards as a "spill." This designation was then determined by the CCWS on Thursday to receive routine compliance sampling results, according to a release.
Staff is investigating the cause and making necessary adjustments to ensure compliance with the discharge permit. The county said the effluent flow from the facility into the lake was 6.05 million gallons on Aug. 22. This was then disinfected and will not affect drinking water supplies.
Officials said that CCWS employees followed EPD protocols by promptly reporting the sampling results and have been conducting daily water quality testing upstream and downstream of the effluent discharge location in Lake Allatoona.
There have not been any reported impacts to the lake and no cleanup or remediation is required, county officials said.